At the start of 2019 I set the intention of continuing my journey into Property Development and Investment. This has meant stepping aside from my regular activities in Freelance Design Engineering and Consultancy and utilising the education I gained in 2018 to pursue my property ambitions.

The first six weeks of the year have been full of new activity including meeting landlords and investors, attending property seminars, catching up with other property investment students from Legacy and researching and visiting investment areas.

My revised business cards can be found below – please do not hesitate to contact me if you think we could collaborate on property related business opportunities.

Dilapidations are the breaches of lease covenants that relate to the condition of a property during the term of the tenancy or when the lease ends. For the Building Services Engineering elements the claims for dilapidations include the remedy for disrepair, reinstatement of any changes made to the landlords plant and equipment, or removal of plant and services installed by the tenant. These claims are drawn out by assessment by the engineer of the tenants lease obligations. Building services systems require specialist advise due to their complexity, shorter life cycle than the building and its fabric and health and safety, statutory and legislative implications.

Claims are made at or near the end of a lease although consideration before an agreement is commenced should be undertaken to reduce the risk of dispute. Important considerations are as follows;

Building services condition and serviceability should be understood by the landlord at the start and end of the lease

The tenant should complete due diligence to ensure they are not taking on existing dilapidations liabilities

The time frames and liabilities for completing dilapidations should be understood

For services in poor or aged condition capping of the service charge should be considered

Tenants must understand their maintenance obligations and provide evidence that these have been or are being fulfilled

Operation and maintenance manuals, record drawings and specifications and commissioning documentation should be available for both landlord and tenants plant and services

The value of property assets are preserved through dilapidations advice and compensation must be sought by landlords when tenants do not comply with their lease obligations. Tenants also need advise on the validity and size of landlords claims.

Liabilities should be considered before, during and at the termination of leases by way of specialist Building Services Engineering Condition Surveys and Reports.

A Client is a customer or owner who buys goods or products or services. Building Services Engineers provide immense value to a client in the form of the many years of experience and knowledge of setting to work their systems through design, maintenance or operational services. Seasoned and experienced engineers often find that projects or systems iterated by many at huge cost often have issues that are easily resolved with the tenacious attitude found in many freelance or small business engineers. The parable of the Old Engineer and the Hammer springs to mind although a simplification of the paradigm, experienced engineers designing, operating and maintaining engineering systems are essential to ensuring continued safe and reliable operation.

Rougemont Building Services is a small business managed and directed by a chartered engineer with over 30 years experience in many sectors. Mr John Fletcher MCIBSE CENG has taken the proverbial hammer to many projects and systems saving huge costs and adding immense value to clients assets. We are part of an extensive network of freelance and small business engineering service and product providers with many thousands of years experience

Clients – if you require the proverbial hammer treatment on your projects or systems or you have systems or projects which you wish to ensure are designed , maintained and operated efficiently and effectively then please do not hesitate to get in touch on the contact form below.

The Building Services Engineer is responsible for the design, installation, operation and maintenance of mechanical, electrical and public health systems required for safe, comfortable and sustainable operation of modern buildings.

Building services engineering comprises mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) engineering, all of which are further sub-divided into the following:

Telephones and IT networks (ICT)

Energy supply – gas, electricity and renewable sources

Escalators and lifts

Fire alarm and detection

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)

Lightning protection

Low voltage (LV) systems, distribution boards and switchgear

Natural, artificial lighting and building facades

Security and alarm systems

Cooling and refrigeration

Water, drainage, hot and cold water service

Building services engineers collaborate with other building professionals including architects, structural engineers and quantity surveyors. They influence the architecture of a building and play a significant role in the sustainability and energy use of a building. Building services engineering also encompasses renewable energy, sustainability, low carbon technologies and energy management. With buildings accounting for around 50% of all carbon emissions, building services engineers play a significant role in combating climate change.

A seasoned building services engineer has a wide-range of experience as follows

Design – designing the building services engineering for various sectors, for example residential, industrial or commercial.

Design Management – is the business side of design, which aims to create a productive environment to control and support a culture of creativity and innovation, and to embrace the iterative nature of design involving the many disciplines that, collectively, will deliver design solutions whilst meeting the companies commercial objectives in an ethical manner.

Project management – focuses on a wider range of administrative skills including programme, finance and resource.

Construction – supervising the construction of the building services, commissioning and setting to work of engineering services.

Sustainability – defined as a requirement of our generation to manage resources such that the average quality of life that we ensure ourselves can potentially be shared by all future generations. Development is sustainable if it involves a non-decreasing average quality of life.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) – the design, installation operation and maintenance of HVAC systems for the provision of healthy and comfortable internal environments.

In 1976 Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) was founded and received a Royal Charter in the United Kingdom, and formally recognising building services engineering as a profession. Its objectives of the Institution are to: support the Science, Art and Practice of building services engineering, by providing our members and the public with first class information and education services and promoting the spirit of fellowship which guides our work.

In my early career I was actively involved in the Gas Safety industry. CORGI and Gas Safe Registration formed my tenacious attitude to exceeding regulatory requirements and setting very high standards.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require advice on Gas Safety or setting high standards.

An architect is a person who plans, designs, and reviews the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings, that have as their principal purpose human occupancy or use. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, which derives from the Greek (arkhi-, chief + tekton, builder), i.e., chief builder.

Rougemont Building Services are keen to partner with Architects to enable integrated building and engineering designs to be fully realised.

We are happy to undertake initial consultations at the early stages of your designs.